Key Points Mental health is essential to general health around the world; however, there is a continuous need to educate psychiatrists in the developed world about global mental health and to build psychiatric and mental health resources to meet an…
Key Points Background Portrayals of mental illness in news and entertainment media can educate the public and promote help-seeking efforts, or they can create and perpetuate stigma. Clinical and Research Challenges Mass media reports of suicide can trigger imitation; following…
Key Points Psychiatrists are particularly vulnerable to workplace stress and to burnout. Especially challenging aspects of psychiatry include patient suicide, malpractice litigation, and residency training. Diverse coping strategies can be used to prevent and to manage difficult situations. Overview The…
Key Points Disaster psychiatry is an evolving field that has developed in response to severe and usually unpredictable events. A psychiatrist has multiple potential roles in a disaster, ranging from advocating for appropriate preparation and policy to treatment of long-term…
Key Points Background The discipline of military psychiatry extends psychiatric practice beyond the boundaries of traditional environments of care. Though resiliency is the norm, negative effects of combat exposure can persist for decades. Psychological casualties in chemical and biological threat…
Key Points Background Many patients receiving rehabilitation services have psychiatric conditions that may adversely affect the rate, quality, and durability of their recovery. Losses or changes in functional status, disfiguring trauma or disease, and displacement far away from loved ones…
Key Points The safety assessment is crucial in emergency evaluations. Assessment and management of acute agitation are of particular importance. It is critical to consider and to diagnose acute medical problems during the evaluation of a psychiatric emergency. Signs of…
Key Points Malpractice litigation has a significant impact on the professional and personal lives of sued psychiatrists, but the evidence does not support perceptions that it is out of control. Liability of psychiatrists is normally limited to acts of negligence…
Key Points Psychiatric evaluations within the criminal justice system include assessment of criminal responsibility, competency to stand trial, competency to plead, competency to waive counsel, and competency to be executed. Each of the above evaluations serves the purpose of upholding…
Key Points Litigation is divided into two general categories: civil and criminal. Civil matters involve claims of injury or some other transgression that can be remedied by the payment of money (damages) or performance or cessation of certain activities (injunctive…